Departures of note

John Irvin was an English film and television director born in Newcastle upon Tyne, who graduated from the London Film School. He began his career in the Free Cinema movement directing vérité-style documentaries, including the 1963 short Inheritance about the Algerian War of Independence, and later shot footage of the Vietnam conflict for Movietone in 1969. His 1967 short Mafia No! earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Short Film.

In the 1970s Irvin directed extensively for British television, including the acclaimed BBC adaptation of John le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in 1977, which was nominated for a BAFTA and a Primetime Emmy. He then moved into Hollywood features, directing The Dogs of War (1980), Ghost Story (1981), Champions (1984), Turtle Diary (1985), Raw Deal (1986), and the Vietnam War film Hamburger Hill (1987).

Over a career spanning more than thirty features, Irvin became a three-time BAFTA Award nominee and a respected figure in both British television and international cinema. He died peacefully at the UK home of his sister-in-law on 11 August 2026, aged 86.